Hi, I'm Walt Lockley and this is my online archive.

Most of it's about architecture.

In retrospect I see most of my research has fallen into one framework very nicely. All along, without realizing it, I've been exploring how buildings communicate.

Oh, sure, pffft, it sounds easy when you say it like that.

But I had to circle around a bit.

It took a long investigation into environmental psychology to discover that this "science" is not capable of delivering usable findings for the good of users, and even if it could, design professionals wouldn't listen. (Psychologists really might say "I don't know" more often. It has a lovely modest ring and it would save time.) My result was a book called The Psychology of Residential Space, which I sold a few copies of, while I ran a private consulting practice for two years.

It took another year to figure out when exactly architecture lost its mind. I now put it at 1933, on the publication of Le Corbusier's article "La défense de l'architecture" (English: "I do as I damned well please"). In this article Le Corbusier contradicted all his previous positions about functionalism and argued for the right of architects to act like artists, accountable to nobody but their own impulses and consciences.

That's been the underlying theoretical basis for architects' usefulness for about 80 years now.

 

 

A move to Phoenix Arizona gave me a chance to spend time with architects instead of just complain. I learned to be kinder. They're always expected to do seven or eight difficult things at once. If they do six of the eight, and stay in business, they're doing great. My research into the surprising history of Phoenix architecture earned local recogition as an expert, and that's all assembled in West of Taliesin West, standing about 97% complete and looking for a publisher.

(If you're here looking for the Phoenix research previously on this page, contact me and I'll share.)

More recently I've teamed up with Einar Kvaran, or as the BBC called him "the legendary Einar Kvaran", to investigate the history of American architectural sculpture. Architectural sculpture is a redheaded stepchild, claimed as neither "art" or "architecture" by academics, so never given clear or close attention. I believe we now know more about the field than anybody else. It's strange that a once-huge industry of sculptors and carvers, working in such a public medium that developed into a truly American art form, could remain invisible. See below for more details on A Field Guide to Architectural Sculpture in America.

Along the way I've developed into a professional magazine writer who respects deadlines, and comes to the table with fresh opinions, and who kills his darlings before you're ever bothered by them.

Have a look around. Your feedback is always welcome.